Surviving in Oz was completed during my time in Newcastle, Australia in November 2014 as a part of The Emerald Violin's Backyard Bus Residency. The project was two completed in two parts (both paintings and a public art piece) around the issue of Domestic Violence in Australia.
We are all statistics: One Every Week
These works are paper based prints, with drawing, spray paint and ink details. There were 52 smaller portraits of ladies along Hunter St., representing the number of victims due to Domestic Violence in Australia, which feature portions of quotes from Helen Cumming’s story of survival. There were also five larger pieces, which feature the full quotes from Helen’s story, a portrait of a woman and home, as well as a wallpaper pattern.
All together, the wallpaper pattern in the pieces represents some of the data I’ve gathered from various organizations, specifically it addresses the 1440 Domestic Violence related crime incidents in Newcastle in the past year, the 1039 victims VOCAL has assisted in the past year (related to domestic violence), and the 883 women with Domestic Violence as a presenting factor the Hunter Women’s Resource Centre has assisted in the past year. These pieces can also be found along Hunter St., on the streets, in alleyways and tucked away in corners.
One woman dies every week in Australia due to Domestic Violence.
This is a War Zone
These portraits are inspired by Helen Cumming's story of survival which she recorded in her book, Blood Vows.
Images of prints and zine from the fundraising campaign for this residency will be up soon. To order your own issue of the "When in Oz...Zine" contact me.